Changing My Writing Story: Learning from Effective Writing

by | Aug 22, 2024 | ENGLISH

Learning how other, more experienced writers and communicators make choices to communicate their ideas effectively is key to changing the story of your writing skills so you, too, become the strong, confident writer you need to be to succeed in college and your professional career.

For this assignment, write to inform your instructor that you understand effective writing and explain to them what choice(s) you can make to change your writing story.

Select an informative piece of writing which addresses an issue relevant to your field of study.

Select either:

An informal publication like the transcript of a TED Talk or a personal blog post
A more formal peer-reviewed article from the PG Library
A business newsletter
In your assignment, complete the following steps:

Concisely explain to your instructor what effective writing is based on the knowledge you gained from Hawkes and PG Writing Center resources and what you learned in Seminar.
Explain what you think are the effective writing choices the author of the chosen document makes in establishing and supporting their main point.
Finally, explain what writing choices you need to make more effective in the future based on what you see in the model writing and how you plan to do that.

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Answer

Sample Answer

 

Changing My Writing Story: Learning from Effective Writing

Dear Instructor,

I am writing to share my understanding of effective writing and how I plan to improve my own writing skills based on insights gained from Hawkes resources, the PG Writing Center, and our recent seminar discussions. I have selected a peer-reviewed article titled “The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health Among College Students” from the PG Library as my informative piece. This article addresses a critical issue in the realm of mental health, particularly relevant to my field of study in psychology.

Understanding Effective Writing

Effective writing is characterized by clarity, coherence, and engagement. It communicates ideas clearly and concisely while effectively engaging the audience. According to the resources I have reviewed, effective writing involves several key components:

1. Audience Awareness: Understanding who the readers are and tailoring the message to resonate with them.
2. Structure and Organization: Presenting information in a logical order that enhances comprehension.
3. Supporting Evidence: Using credible sources and data to back up claims, making arguments more persuasive and trustworthy.
4. Style and Tone: Choosing an appropriate tone that aligns with the subject matter and audience expectations.

Analysis of Effective Writing Choices

In the selected article, the author makes several effective choices that contribute to the strength of the writing:

1. Clear Thesis Statement: The article opens with a clear thesis that outlines the purpose and scope, allowing readers to understand what to expect.

2. Logical Organization: The content is structured into distinct sections, each addressing a specific aspect of the issue. This organization helps readers follow the argument easily.

3. Use of Data and Statistics: The author supports their points with relevant statistics and findings from previous research, which adds credibility and reinforces their argument.

4. Engaging Language: The author employs language that is both professional and accessible, making complex ideas understandable without oversimplifying them.

Writing Choices for Improvement

Reflecting on these effective writing choices, I recognize several areas where I can enhance my own writing:

1. Strengthening Thesis Statements: I need to work on crafting clearer and more focused thesis statements in my writing to provide a strong foundation for my arguments.

2. Improving Structure: I plan to adopt more organized structures in my written work, ensuring each section flows logically into the next. Using outlines before drafting can help me with this.

3. Incorporating Evidence: I aim to incorporate more supporting evidence from credible sources in my writing. This will not only strengthen my arguments but also build trust with my readers.

4. Refining Language: I want to pay closer attention to my choice of language and tone, ensuring it is appropriate for my audience while remaining engaging.

To implement these changes, I will actively seek feedback on my drafts from peers and utilize resources available at the PG Writing Center. Additionally, I plan to read more peer-reviewed articles in my field to observe effective writing styles and techniques that I can adopt in my own work.

In conclusion, by learning from experienced writers and analyzing effective communication strategies, I am committed to transforming my writing story into one of confidence and clarity. Thank you for your guidance and support as I embark on this journey.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Student ID]
[Your Course Name]

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